


Duellum

by nyxxstay



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Blood and Violence, Demon Hunters, Demonic Possession, Demons, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Magic, Mentions of Death, Minor Character Death, On Hiatus, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Partner Bonds, Slow Burn, Swords & Sorcery, Tags Are Hard, because i don't wanna give spoilers yet, but they hate each other, but they realize they love each other after a lot of angst, chan is a great leader, changlix, demon slayers, minho and jisung are partners, minsung - Freeform, seungjin - Freeform, stray kids are badass, stray kids are demon slayers, stray kids have magic powers, war between slayers and demons, woochan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24179707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyxxstay/pseuds/nyxxstay
Summary: "Look, just because we're Bonded partners doesn't mean we have to be friends, okay?""Finally something we can agree on," Jisung grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring at the redhead across from him in the alley. Why, oh why, had the Fates cursed him with such an annoying and cocky partner?Their conversation was cut short by the sound of a low growl coming from the shadows, and the two Slayers wasted no time in unsheathing their katanas, the brilliant blue and crimson red blades glinting in the moonlight."Try not to get in my way," Minho huffed, stepping towards the shadows with his weapon raised."Touche."OR Stray Kids are badass demon slayers involved in a 400-year war, they all have magical powers and use swords, and Minsung hate each other's guts but are "cursed" to be partners. It's a wild ride to say the least.IN LIGHT OF RECENT EVENTS I will be putting this story on a temporary short hiatus so I can re work this story to be OT8. The plot I'd built for this was heavily reliant on OT9 pairings but I no longer want to include Woojin in this story. I'll be back soon <3 (This will mean me also kinda rewriting the already posted chapters)On indefinite hiatus
Relationships: Bang Chan/Kim Woojin, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin
Comments: 38
Kudos: 87





	1. Part I - Vinclum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO! So, this is my first ao3 au, and I'm so excited to get started on it. I got inspired to write this kinda sorta by Kimetsu no Yaiba, but the universe is entirely different so you literally don't need to know anything about that anime/manga to understand this au, I've literally changed everything about it. Anyway, here's the first chapter. Enjoy!

“Have you finished your selection, sister?”

“Nearly. This last pair is a tad tricky.”

A room of smoke, shapes weaving in the eerie mist like characters in children’s tales.

“Are you sure about them?” Atropos looked into the rippling pool of water, watching the silhouettes of two young men running across it. Her sister hummed.

“Indeed. They will do well with each other.” Clotho smiled.

“The ceremony, it draws near, sisters. The last one for a long while, I’m afraid.” Lachesis spoke with an airy voice, gliding her way to her fellow sisters at the glistening water’s edge. “Ah, a tragic pairing, I must say.” She brushed her fingers through the water’s surface and the Three Fates watched as the pictures changed, showing the two young men among scenes of blood, fire, and death. War was coming.

“These two will play an important role in the coming war. They must find their strength in each other, or lest be lost to their fates.” Clotho reached into the water, splashing it upwards into the air and watching as the droplets morphed with the smoke, an image of two ribbons taking shape, one a bright royal blue, and the other a crimson blood red.

The ribbons swirled through the air in front of the sisters. “Their time is short,” Atropos noted, seeing the frayed ends of the colorful fabric. “Will they last long enough to serve their purpose?”

“Oh yes,” Clotho responded. “Alone, their fates are fragile, frayed. But together,” she waved her hand and the two ribbons swirled around each other, tangling and knotting together to the point where you couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. “They will find balance in each other.”

“They will need it,” Lachesis lamented, watching as seven other ribbons of many dazzling colors took shape before them, floating aimlessly in the air, awaiting direction. “All of them will, should they want to survive the coming trials.”

“Indeed.”

Atropos smiled, looking down into the water once again, watching the two young men in question. The two stood back to back, their magic swirling around them with swords poised, watching as the horde of enemies closed in on them. Despite the seemingly dire circumstances, the black haired boy smiled, reaching back and quickly squeezing the redhead’s hand as he said something that made the other smile.

Yes. They would do just fine.

\---------------------

“Han Jisung!”

Jisung wasn’t sure he’d ever made such an inhuman noise as he screeched in terror, being tackled to the ground and finding himself under a smiling boy with silvery hair.

“Felix, what the hell, man?” Jisung tried to catch his breath, not at all amused at how the slightly younger boy laughed, standing up and offering a hand to the black haired boy. He accepted the gesture as a peace offering.

“Sorry,” Felix laughed. “I wasn’t expecting you to fall over like that.”

“Well when you catch me off guard like that-”

“Aren’t Slayers always supposed to have their guard up?” Jisung rolled his eyes when he heard the voice of none other than Seungmin, the chestnut haired boy smirking as he slung an arm over Jisung’s shoulder.

“Would you rather me slice someone’s arm off the next time they try to scare me?” Jisung gestured to the katana sheathed at his hip to prove his point.

“No one is slicing any limbs off, thank you,” another voice, Changbin, laughed as he joined the group of friends outside their dorm building. “Especially not when we’re this close to finally graduating.”

Ah yes, graduation. Jisung sighed at the thought, simultaneously excited and terrified of the notion. He’d spent his entire 20 years of life training for this day, so he could finally become a Slayer, finally leave the safety of the Academy’s grounds and go out into the rest of the world and protect people. That’s all he’d wanted to do since he was a child, all any of them wanted to do.

Not like any of them really got any other choice in the matter.

“You guys excited to finally become real Slayers?” Changbin asked as the group headed inside. The dorms weren’t anything special, just a long hallway and many floors of tiny rooms upon tiny rooms, bright lights shining down from the ceiling onto the group of friends.

“I’m excited to finally kill some real demons,” Seungmin replied nonchalantly. “That’s what we’ve been trained for, isn’t it?”

“I’m more excited about finally being bonded to my partner!” Felix smiled widely. “Aren’t you guys?”

Jisung shrugged. Part of the events of graduation was getting paired to a partner by the Fates, someone who supposedly complimented your abilities and would back you up in battle as you fought the hordes of demons. Someone you would be paired to for the rest of your life, whether you liked it or not.

Jisung wasn’t too keen on it.

“Oh come on,” Felix bugged the black haired boy. “The Fates setting you up with a partner that is essentially your right hand man, your second half in battle, who fights with you so well that you don’t have to even tell them what to do, they just know because they know you that well. I think that sounds amazing.”

There were many people like Felix, people who loved the idea of being Bonded to another soul, of having someone to rely on in battle, to protect them and in turn for them to protect, but then there were also people like Jisung, people who saw the Bonding ceremony as a liability, as just another way to get him killed young out on the front lines.

“I’m with Jisung, to be honest,” Seungmin sighed, stopping in front of his door. “Relying on someone else to protect me is just another way to get myself killed, and I don’t know about you guys, but I fully intend to retire when I turn 28.” Seungmin ran a hand through his messy hair. “Anyway, I’ll see you guys tonight at the Ceremony.”

“See you, Minnie!” The small chorus of voices replied as they continued down the hall.

“I mean it can’t be that bad,” Changbin said thoughtfully. “Just look at Chan and Woojin hyung. They’ve been on the front lines for almost four years now and they work like a well oiled machine. They’re the strongest Slayers on the front lines right now.”

“Chan is also a pyrokinetic and Lieutenant,” Jisung reminded him. “Of course they’re strong.”

Changbin shrugged. “Point still stands.”

The three friends bid each other goodbye once they came to Jisung’s door, agreeing to all sit together at the Ceremony that night, before Jisung slid into his tiny room, closing the door with a gentle thud behind him and sighing in relief.

Jisung really hated group training days, and he didn’t understand why they’d had his entire graduating class to come out and train today when it’s literally the day of their graduation. Jisung could keep his walls up with ease around a small group, but with several hundred people all in the same location? It was like a tsunami of energies bombarding him, and it took every ounce of strength he had to keep it from overwhelming him.

The dark haired boy sat down on the plain white sheets of his bed, glancing at the black uniform laid out for the prestigious event of the night. He really wished he’d been blessed with a more useful magic, maybe something like Seungmin’s shadows or Changbin’s gravity manipulation, but no, he’d been cursed to be an empath. His magic was more of a nuisance, a pain in the ass because he had to block out everyone’s energies constantly or else get overstimulated and be unable to function, and it was all but useless in battle. He’d had to work twice as hard in training his combat skills to even prove that he was capable of being on the front lines, because everyone else had abilities that made them stronger, and Jisung’s only weakened him.

“ _There’s nothing wrong with being a Support,_ ” they’d all told him, and while, yes, that was true, that wasn’t what Jisung wanted. He didn’t want to hide in the back, waiting to run in and clean up the aftermath of a battle and help the wounded, he wanted to be the one fighting the battles. That’s what everyone of their lineage wanted.

400 years of an endless war, back and forth between the Slayers and demons. No one remembered how it started or even who their people were before, all they knew was the demons were doing their damnedest to eradicate them.

And they were winning.

It was slow, but it was happening. A few generations ago, the Academy would graduate a few thousand new Slayers every four years. Now? Jisung’s graduating class was less than 500. In a full blown war, 500 new soldiers to account for a four year gap before the next class graduated wasn’t a lot, no matter how skilled they were. Slayers were powerful, more powerful than the average demon by a long shot, but the demons had the advantage in numbers, and that advantage was growing every year.

Not to mention, most Slayers died young on the front lines, the average life expectancy being about 23 years. You were allowed to retire at 28, but the amount of people that reached that point were far and few between. That’s why many women stopped even going through the Academy, choosing to live their lives giving birth to as many children as their bodies could handle, having those very same children immediately be put into the academy, never even knowing their mother’s name. It didn’t bother him; they were all like that, all children of a system that had been in place for longer than anyone remembered. Chances are, his mother had died years ago from complications in birth, as most of them did after a while.

Anything to further their cause, anything to win the war.

Jisung groaned, unsheathing his katana and raising it before his eyes, watching the way his lamp light glinted off the royal blue blade. Their katanas were enchanted to take on the color of their wielder's magic, and he’d always been fond of the shade, despite hating his magic. He gripped the hilt with a skilled hand, twirling the blade through the air once, twice, three times, before swiftly sheathing it again. Soon enough, he’d be using his blade against real enemies, enemies who were out for blood. He was ready for it, he knew he was.

With a glance at the glowing numbers on the clock on his nightstand, he knew it was time to get ready. The Ceremony of Souls would be starting soon.

* * *

“Congratulations!” Changbin pounded Jisung on the back as he sat down beside him in the grand hall. Gold decorated vaulted ceilings lie above them, like what Jisung used to see in pictures of fancy performance theaters from the outside world. The chairs were simple, all lined in perfect rows facing the stage where a large magic circle had been drawn in black paint before a bowl of glowing coals that sat on a simple wooden stool.

“You too,” Jisung smiled, noting the way his friend had actually bothered to style his dark blue hair in order to at least look somewhat presentable in his fancy black uniform.

“Can you believe we finally graduated?” Felix smiled on Jisung’s other side.

They had just been sent to the hall for the Bonding ceremony, officially called the Ceremony of Souls, after being granted their official titles as Slayers by one of the High Council Generals. It was an honor to most, though Jisung didn’t particularly care about titles or the grandeur of the whole affair. He just wanted to be done with the whole thing.

“Now we just have to get assigned our partners,” Seungmin rolled his eyes on the other side of Changbin.

“I hope the Fates pair me with one of you guys,” Felix squeezed his hands together, gazing at the stage in anticipation.

“When do they ever pair friends?” Jisung deadpanned.

“I mean they paired Chan and Woojin…”

“Okay besides them.”

Felix laughed brightly, leaning on Jisung’s shoulder. “I’m gonna miss you, Sungie.”

Jisung shook his head with a smile, arm resting over his best friend’s shoulders. “You act like we’ll never see each other again.”

“I mean we certainly won’t see a lot of each other,” Changbin lamented with a small frown.

Jisung knew he was right, that after they were assigned their partners, they would be sent off to the front lines and not see much of anyone other than their partners for the years they spent out there. There were strong chances that they’d be assigned posts near each other, and they could always contact each other, but it was obvious by how absent their older friends had been since graduating four years ago that the chance to just check in and catch up with others while fighting a war was far and few between.

“I’ll miss you guys.”

Jisung looked over at the younger boy with shock written in his features. “Did _the_ Kim Seungmin just admit that he’d miss us?”

“Yeah, and what about it?”

The group of friends laughed.

Soon enough, silence fell over the hall as a cloaked figure stepped onto the stage, the wine red fabric billowing behind them as they stood front and center, addressing the seated graduates.

“Welcome to the Ceremony of Souls.” The voice was feminine and commanding, bringing all fidgeting and murmuring to a halt as all eyes focused on her. The crimson hood hid her face, and that somehow made her feel even more powerful. “As you are all aware, this is where the Fates will grant you your partners, where you will make your oath. I will cast a spell using the magic circle on the stage, and the coals will burn two names into the paper I feed it. When your name is called, you will join me on the stage and step into the magic circle where we will begin the Ceremony. Once the Fates have claimed your partner, there is no discussion to be had. You do not get a different partner, you do not get to back out. Your partner is chosen for you by the Fates, someone who compliments you, who will make you stronger in some way. Once you are Bonded, it’s for life.

“You are to protect your partner with your life. Should they be tainted by a demon, you are to use your blade to take their life, and should they suffer such a fate or die on the front lines, you will have to continue your service alone. The Ceremony will tie your souls together, bound by fate to serve one another, to protect each other, to help each other as you battle the hordes of demons, and you are to remain loyal to them until your dying breath. There is no greater dishonor than failing your Bonded partner. Take this oath seriously, and may the Fates bless you in your endeavors to keep us all safe.”

It felt like a heavy blanket of anxiety had come to rest over the crowd as the hooded woman walked across the stage, grabbing the bowl of glowing coals and placing it in the center of the magic circle. Jisung felt a gentle squeeze on his hand, noticing Felix gripping it with a wide smile, watching the woman with excitement dancing in his eyes. At least someone was excited to be partnered with a stranger for the rest of their life.

The woman reached into the pocket of her cloak, pulling out a small piece of parchment paper and placing it in the coals. As the parchment caught fire, small flames devouring the paper and sending little sparks into the air, the woman raised her hands over the bowl, murmuring a few words under her breath. The magic circle began to glow a blinding white and Jisung could feel the tension of the magic in the air as the Fates were called upon, asking for their guidance in the Ceremony. He’d seen magic performed so many times in his life, but he couldn’t help the way his eyes widened as he watched the burned parchment literally unburn itself, reforming into the crisp rectangle it had been before it launched into the air, fluttering down gently into the spellcaster’s hand.

Jisung felt a lump forming in his throat as she read the parchment, and then spoke the names of the first two partners to be Bonded.

“Han Jisung and Lee Minho.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... thoughts? I know this is kind of uneventful, but I really wanted to wait to write the Bonding Ceremony until the next chapter. After that, things will start to pick up speed :) If you're interested, you can follow me on twitter for updates on my writing, or just to yell at me about skz, because that's literally all I do haha. Thanks for reading and I can't wait to show you all that's in store for this story. <3
> 
> Twitter: @nyxxstay


	2. You're So Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have an update schedule yet because it's the middle of midterm season and I was too excited to start this story to bother to backlog any chapters so... SURPRISE here's the second chapter because I couldn't wait to post it.
> 
> Chapter title inspired by So Cold by Breaking Benjamin

“Han Jisung and Lee Minho.”

Jisung felt like he might’ve completely stopped breathing in that moment, the words echoing in his ears, but not seeming to comprehend them. It wasn’t until he felt a firm grip shake his shoulder that he managed to snap out of the trance, turning to look at the smiling face of his friend.

“That’s you, Sungie,” Changbin confirmed. “Go.”

Jisung nodded hesitantly and stood, trying to ignore the hundreds of pairs of eyes on him as he walked to the stage. He knew he’d be called at some point, but he really hadn’t been expecting to be the first one. He felt on edge, anxious at the prospect of being the first of his class to be Bonded, bound to the soul of a person that he didn’t know.

Jisung thought he might be sick.

The black haired boy took the few steps up the stage, and as he approached the large magic circle and the woman who stood at its center, he spotted another figure, a boy who was climbing the stairs on the other side of the stage. Lee Minho, if he’d heard the name correctly.

Minho stood a few inches taller than Jisung, it seemed, walking with an air of confidence in his step and his hand resting on his katana’s hilt. His hair was a deep auburn red, messily laying over his forehead and shadowing his eyes which stared ahead with an emotionless gaze. The black uniform he wore, which matched the one that every graduate was donning, fit his body well, revealing that, unsurprisingly, he was well toned and fit, as was expected of Slayers of their caliber. Jisung noted that the boy was pretty, with big eyes, pouty lips, and a flattering jawline, and Jisung nearly slapped himself for the realization. Now wasn’t the time to be checking out his new partner.

The two stepped into the magic circle, across from each other on opposite sides of the bowl of smoldering coals. Up close, Jisung could see the shadowed lower half of the woman’s face, and he chose to focus on her painted red lips as she began to speak, rather than the boy a few feet in front of him.

“To intertwine your souls, you must make a bond of blood, an oath of unbreaking virtue. Please, unsheathe your katanas.”

Jisung had spent his whole life hearing about the mysterious Ceremony, but despite the fame of the fated day for all Slayers, no one really knew what occurred during it. He hadn’t been sure what to expect, but he couldn’t help the shiver that ran through his body at the woman’s words. Regardless, he did as instructed, the blue blade reflecting his apprehensive eyes. In his peripheral, he saw the glare of a crimson red blade, Minho seeming to show no reaction to the order as he gripped his blade gently.

“You are use your weapons to slice the palm of your hand,” the woman continued as she reached into her pocket again, bringing out a long white ribbon about two inches thick. “You will then wrap the wound with one end of this ribbon, while your partner wraps his with the other, until your wrapped hands are back to back over the coals. Once this is complete, we will begin the oath.”

Jisung took a breath, doing his best to remain emotionless in front of the audience of onlookers as he raised his katana, laying the sharp blade against the fragile skin of his hand. He wasn’t exactly excited about the idea of causing himself pain, but glancing up, he noticed the ease at which Minho drug the blade across his already scarred hand, not even flinching as the blood began to drip down his arm. Jisung briefly wondered where Minho had gotten the scars from.

Jisung refocused on his task, realizing he couldn’t appear scared of a little pain in front of his partner, so he pressed down on the sword, unable to hide the slight hiss that left his lips as it broke the skin and blood painted his blade. Swiftly resheathing his katana, he took his end of the white ribbon in his good hand, wrapping it around the wound tightly until there was no extra ribbon left and the back of his hand was pressed to Minho’s. Their blood stained the once pristine fabric, coloring it a deep red as this liquid dripped into the coals below their bound hands, small sizzles and hisses filling the air that held nearly no other sound. Jisung avoided the cold stare of the boy in front of him, looking to the cloaked woman once again for direction.

“Lock eyes with the one you are to be bound to,” she spoke, “and repeat after me.”

Jisung swallowed, casting his gaze back to the boy in front of him, hesitantly meeting his eyes. Minho’s gaze was hard, emotionless, his dark eyes showing no weakness as he connected with Jisung’s soft brown eyes, which were wide with apprehension. It was a bit uncomfortable, holding prolonged eye contact with a stranger whose blood was spilling onto your own bleeding hand, but the two did as instructed.

“Duo animarum, erit ligatum ad unum,” the woman spoke softly, stepping out of the magic circle as the two partners repeated the foregin phrase, mouths forming strangely around the syllables of the unfamiliar language.

_“Duo animarum, erit ligatum ad unum.”_

“Duo fata, alligata sint Fatum.”

_“Duo fata, alligata sint Fatum.”_

The black lines of the circle began to glow, magic permeating the air. Jisung and Minho continued repeating the oath as the woman gave them the phrases.

_“Per Caelo et Inferno, corda nostra sunt vincti sunt pariter; et a tribus Parcis seducit animabus nostris fiet idem.”_

The ribbon around their hands became warm, and Jisung did his best to not break eye contact as he began to notice glowing tendrils of magic wrapping around him, the signature blue telling him that it had to be his own power that the spell was calling out, despite having never seen it before, and deep red tendrils of what he assumed to be Minho’s magic doing the same, curling around the boy in front of him and shining beautifully in in the light, like the last colors of a sunset.

_“Tuus sum ego et vos autem meus ex hoc nunc usque ad mortem.”_

Their magic snaked down their arms, leaving warmth in their wake as they came to the bound hands, the two glistening colors wrapping around both of them, swirling together in a mesmerizing mix of blue and crimson.

_“Ecce votum tueri, defendere et tueri, tecum esse, neve intempestiva sum nactus est.”_

As Jisung and Minho spoke the last words of their oath, a singular drop of blood fell from their bound hands, landing in the smoldering coals. As the hiss rose through the air, the two magics surrounding the partners suddenly shifted, the blue and red becoming a glowing violet as sparks shot up from the bowl of coals below them. Jisung sucked in a breath, feeling a harsh tug in his chest as the ribbon tying their bleeding hands began to glow with a mesmerizing warmth. They did their best to remain focused on the other’s intense gaze as the ribbon seemed to dissolve into the air, joining the magic that twisted around them, but neither of them missed the momentary flash of light behind the other’s eyes.

As the last of the ribbon disappeared, Jisung noticed a tingling warmth on his other hand, but he didn’t dare to look down. The stinging from his sliced hand disappeared as the wound closed up and healed, and slowly, the magic in the air began to dissipate, disappearing into their surroundings as the glowing circle turned back to its’ original black.

“Congratulations, Han Jisung and Lee Minho,” the two finally broke eye contact, dropping their hands that had previously been bound and looking to the cloaked woman who stepped back into the circle, her red lipstick smile barely visible under the shadow of her hood. “You two have completed your Bond.” She reached forward, grabbing hold of their hands that hadn’t been previously bound, raising them to eye level. Jisung couldn’t help the way he gawked slightly at the sight of his dominant hand, which now held what looked like a tattoo of two ribbons, one red and one blue, twirling around each other, trailing gently from the knuckle of his pinky finger to the side of his wrist. “Your Mark is a reminder of the vow you took today. Be true to your word, and protect each other, and may the Fates bless you.”

Jisung took that as his cue to leave, and he tried to ignore that Minho was right on his heels, following him down the stairs to the designated seating for newly bonded partners. The air was uncomfortable as Jisung took a seat in the second row, Minho plopping down beside him with a huff, arms crossed and gaze set forward and ignoring Jisung’s attempt at a friendly smile.

Jisung didn’t like this.

He hadn’t exactly expected much, and he was the first to admit that he never liked the idea of being assigned a partner, but he had expected whoever he’d be bonded to to at least want to make this partnership work. Perhaps it was too early to tell, but the brunette beside him seemed cold, closed off. Jisung couldn’t risk lowering his walls while in a place filled with so many people, but the faint energy he could pick up on from Minho wasn’t all that nice. Jisung sighed, running a hand through his hair before glancing at the mark on his hand, his “reminder” of the oath he’d just made.

Too late to do anything about it now. He was stuck with Minho, for better or for worse, and it was already looking like it’d be the latter. Jisung stared forward, watching with a bored expression as the next set of partners was called forward.

The Ceremony of Souls drug on at an agonizing pace, but it at least was interesting to watch from the outside. It was heartwarming to see when a partnership seemed genuinely excited about being paired, grinning at each other with wide smiles as they took their vows, casting the spell that would intertwine their fates for the rest of their lives. 

Jisung couldn’t help but smile warmly when his friends, Felix and Changbin, were called as partners some time after Jisung had sat down. The two had been excited about receiving partners, and just hours ago, Felix had lamented about wanting to get paired with a friend. It seemed fitting that they would get paired up, and he knew without a doubt that they'd make a fantastic team. He watched in fascination as the two bound their hands, repeating the same oath Jisung had made, their olive green and blinding white magics joining at their hands in a beautiful dance, combining into a stunning soft green and settling around them as their blood soaked ribbon disappeared. He couldn’t see where their Mark had formed, but that likely just meant it was somewhere under their clothes. Bonding Marks could form anywhere on the body during the ceremony, location matching exactly to where it was on your partner. He remembered a young, teenage Jisung, four years prior, being so excited when Chan and Woojin had shown him their Marks, two thick lines banded around their upper arms, one grey and one a bright, fiery red, coming together in a squared knot. He had thought the idea of having a partner to be fascinating at 16 years old.

Clearly that had changed.

Some time later, Jisung watched Seungmin get paired up with a tall, pretty boy by the name of Hwang Hyunjin. He almost felt bad for the taller boy, his bright smile only being met by an emotionless stare from Seungmin, who Jisung knew to also not be keen on being Bonded, and who was also a rather reserved and closed off person as it was. Hyunjin didn’t seem to let it phase him though, and continued the Ceremony without faltering in his disposition, their contrasting black and green magics combining into a stunning, glittering gold. The two took their seats with the rest of the bonded graduates, and the Ceremony trailed on.

Finally, after a few hours, all of the graduates had been bonded, and the woman stepped to the front of the stage, congratulating them once again and releasing them to enjoy their night.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Minho stood up, stepping past Jisung without so much as a nod in his direction, and left out the door to the grand hall, leaving Jisung blinking after him. With a sigh, he stood up, not having to look far to find his friends in the mess of people that were beginning to filter out to join the graduation festivities.

“We did it!” Felix practically jumped with joy, smiling as brightly as ever as he joined Jisung along the wall of the hall, waiting for the crowd to disperse a bit. Changbin was, of course, close behind him.

“Congratulations,” Jisung said to them with a smile. Just because he didn’t like the whole bonding thing didn’t mean he had to rain on his friends’ parade when they were both pretty clearly stoked to have been selected for each other.

“Thanks man,” Changbin smiled, resting an arm around Felix’s shoulders comfortably.

Felix laughed, “The Fates must’ve heard me! They paired me with one of my best friends; it’s perfect.” The silver haired boy then suddenly realized that Jisung was alone and frowned. “Where’s your partner?”

“He left as soon as we were released,” Jisung shrugged.

“Aw, I wanted to meet him,” Felix whined with a pout.

Changbin snickered at his friend, teasing him lightheartedly. “Seems like your new partner isn’t too happy about being bonded either.”

Jisung was about to respond when he spotted the fourth member of their group meandering towards them, a tall boy with chin length blonde hair, half of it pulled back into a bun, following closely behind.

“I was beginning to think you got lost in the crowd,” Changbin laughed, smirking at the somber boy.

Seungmin rolled his eyes, arms crossed, but he couldn’t hide the faint smile that twitched at his lips.

“You must be Seungminnie’s friends!” the taller boy exclaimed, bowing to the group, and Jisung had to resist the urge to laugh at the way his friend cringed at the pet name he’d already been given. “I’m Hyunjin, Seungminnie’s new partner.” His smile was filled with kindness and warmth, causing his eyes to crease into crescent moons. 

“I’m Changbin,” the shorter blue haired boy responded with a smile.

“And I’m Felix,” the younger waved, “Changbin’s partner and also Seungmin’s friend.”

Hyunjin smiled at the two before his eyes swept to Jisung, and before he had the chance to introduce himself, the taller’s eyes flickered with sudden recognition. “Oh, you’re Minho’s partner, right? Jisung, was it?”

Jisung nodded. “You know him?”

Hyunjin smiled. “Been my best friend since we were kids. I take it he left already?” Jisung nodded again, and Hyunjin sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. He’s… a tough guy to get through to sometimes. But he’s a great person, I promise, just needs a smack over the head from time to time. Don’t let him get to you, okay? I’m sure you guys will make great partners.”

Jisung didn’t know why Hyunjin was trying to reassure him, because it wasn’t really like he cared what Minho did, but he accepted the words with a smile and a nod anyway. Hyunjin seemed like a nice guy, warm, kind, and bubbly, practically the polar opposite of Seungmin. It wasn’t that Seungmin was mean or cold, he was just very reserved and kept his thoughts to himself. He hoped that the two would end up getting along well and that maybe Hyunjin would be able to bring Seungmin out of his shell more.

“Well, should we go join the festivities?” Felix smiled at the boys in front of him.

The group headed out into the courtyard, graduates running about and dancing wildly to the loud music that played from the DJ stand. Alcohol was being poured, food being shared, and smiles and laughs could be seen and heard everywhere. Jisung didn’t blame everyone for letting loose for the night, enjoying the last night they’d have together with their friends before being given their assignments and posts, leaving the safety of the Academy that they’d known their whole lives and heading out into a world of danger, into the middle of a war. It was likely the last night that many of them would be able to spend together with the people they cared about, since, based on the statistics, most of them wouldn’t survive very long after this.

Jisung’s heart sunk at the thought, the realization that the next time he’d get to visit the Academy, or the next thing he’d get to hear of his childhood friends might be in the form of a message crow from his friends’ partner, telling him that they’d been killed in battle, or worse yet, that both of had died. They all knew that was a possibility, that that was the future they probably all faced, but now that it was staring him in the face, it terrified Jisung. He didn’t want to lose any of them.

“Jisung, is everything okay?” The dark haired boy was pulled from his thoughts by Seungmin’s concerned voice, big eyes watching his friend who seemed to be spaced out with a frown on his face.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Jisung stuttered, trying to shake the feelings of worry.

“No, you’re not.” Changbin frowned, putting a comforting arm around his friend as they stood on the outskirts of the mingling crowd. “What’s wrong?”

Jisung looked up, gazing at the twinkling stars dotting the night sky. He wondered how many other Slayers had done this on their graduation night, only to meet an untimely and gory end once they left the safety of the Academy they called home. “Just… just promise me that we’ll all retire together, that we’ll all make it to 28 and get to leave the front lines, together.”

“Aw, Sungie,” the freckled boy pulled his best friend close. “Of course, we’re all going to retire together. Don’t doubt it for a second.”

“Yeah, don’t worry your pretty head for a single minute,” Changbin joined the hug, pulling Seungmin and even Hyunjin with him, the five boys embracing each other under the glittering sky, the ambience of the party surrounding them. “I know the odds are stacked against us, but have faith. We’re all strong Slayers, and we won’t let those nasty demons get us. We’ll all survive.”

Jisung buried his face into Felix’s shoulder, hiding the tears that began to prick his eyes. He really was going to miss them. “Promise you’ll send crows every now and then, that you’ll keep in touch, please.”

“Sure thing, Sungie,” Seungmin assured him, warm hand gently rubbing his friend’s back.

The night ended in laughter and smiles from all five, letting the world around them disappear for the time being as they enjoyed their last hours with their friends, their last time to be together for a long while.

* * *

“Took you long enough.”

Jisung didn’t know what he had expected Minho’s first words to him to be, but he certainly hadn’t expected to be scolded at six in the morning, the brisk morning air chilling the blonde to the bone as he lugged his duffel bag out to the gate of the Academy. He scoffed.

“Call time is six AM. It’s 5:59, I’m early.”

Minho looked unimpressed, leaned up against the wall of the warehouse that hid the Academy with his arms crossed over his chest. Today he wore a simple black long sleeve and black jeans, combat boots laced up tight, silver earring and necklace glinting in the morning light, and katana strapped to his belt. 

“Last call is six AM. I’ve been here since five thirty.”

Jisung rolled his eyes. He was really going to have a hard time with this partner of his if he was going to hound him over little shit like call times.

Neither said much more the rest of the morning, receiving their assignment to a post in the Guro district of Seoul, and boarding a bus that would take them there. There were civilians on the bus, but thankfully, they had already engraved their concealment circles into the sheaths of their weapons, hiding the weapons from the view of anyone without a sensitivity to magic. As the bus pulled away from its stop, Jisung watched the Academy fade away in the distance, saying goodbye to the safe home he’d known for 20 years. It was bittersweet, finally being able to set out and do what he’d always dreamed of, slaying demons and protecting the innocent, but also leaving behind the only life he’d ever known. He knew he’d see it again.

He hoped.

Minho was as silent as ever beside him, hands folded neatly in his lap as he stared forward, head bobbing slightly as the bus bounced on the uneven road. Jisung could feel through his magic that the boy was doing his best to mask himself, not just his physical expressions, but his emotions as well. Did he know Jisung was an empath? He wasn’t sure, but he decided best not to pry, and let his mind wander to what Hyunjin had told him last night.

Minho was 22, two years older than Jisung, and was, apparently, pretty adept in everything he did. Jisung hadn’t grilled his new friend much on the boy he was partnered to, hell, he didn’t even know what type of magic he used, but he got the feeling that Minho had _something_ going on, though what, he didn’t know. Hyunjin claimed that the older was a good person and a great friend, but upon meeting him, Jisung would’ve never suspected that. Even Seungmin was a tough shell to crack, with a distant and stoic exterior, but Minho was well beyond him, coming off as cold and harsh, completely uncaring. Jisung hadn’t expected or even really wanted to be friends with the person he was supposed to be partnered with, but he had expected to at least be able to tolerate their presence, and right now, he really wasn’t sure he’d be able to if Minho’s cold indifference continued.

After a while, the empty countryside shifted to that of a city landscape, buildings, cars, and busy people filling Jisung’s view as they drove by. He had never seen a city other than in books, but he could say for certain that the pictures didn’t do it justice. Under the bright afternoon sun, the windows of tall office buildings glinted with a golden glare, and they passed shops of so many different kinds that he didn’t know where he’d even start if he wanted to go exploring.

Not like he’d be able to. This many people would be overwhelming on his magic, and without his friends by his side, he couldn’t risk becoming overstimulated. He wasn’t sure Minho would even notice or care if Jisung suddenly couldn’t function.

The sun was still high in the sky when they came to their stop, the two Slayers stepping out of the dingy old bus, duffel bags in hand. Neither said a word as they walked down the abandoned street to their post. Dirty “For Sale” signs, trash, and abandoned cars lined the street, making it seem as though no one had lived in this area in a long time, which was likely true. The post had been recently vacated by another Slayer duo, and although they hadn’t been told where the previous Slayers had gone, Minho and Jisung both had an inkling that chances are, the two hadn’t had a pretty fate.

The address they were to stay at was a small house, weeds growing in the unkempt front yard, a boarded window and a peeling door greeting the new residents. Jisung couldn’t help but sigh with slight dejection. He had hoped that his new home would at least look welcoming.

The inside was at least clean, albeit a tad dusty. A small kitchen, a worn couch in the living room, one bathroom, and one bedroom with two twin sized beds. It could’ve been worse. 

“I’ll take the couch,” Minho muttered, setting his black duffel on the cushions and plopping down beside it.

“There’s two beds, you know,” Jisung raised an eyebrow at the older.

Minho rolled his eyes. “I’m aware.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to at least sleep on a bed? We don’t know how long we’ll be assigned here.” Jisung wasn’t sure why he cared, but he didn’t imagine sleeping on a couch for however long they’d be posted in Guro was going to be very good on his partner’s back.

“Are you always this annoying?”

This time both eyebrows shot up, the younger taken aback by the biting words. Somebody really must’ve pissed in Minho’s wheeties that morning.

“Fine,” Jisung surrendered, sarcasm dripping in his voice. “Fuck up your back. See if I care.”

Jisung closed the door to the bedroom behind him, pulling out a blanket from his duffel and collapsing onto one of the beds with a huff, deciding it’d be best to get a head start on adjusting his sleep schedule now rather than being overwhelmingly tired that night.

As Jisung curled up under the soft fabric of his blanket, he couldn’t help but think that this was going to be a very long eight years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, the enemies part of Enemies to Lovers. What'd you all think of the Ceremony? It was fun to envision when I was writing it.
> 
> Next chapter we'll get a taste of the real world of a Slayer :) Hope you all are doing well <3 Thanks for reading.


	3. Notice for Readers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning for mentions // sexual assault

Hello everyone, this is Nyxx. I'm really sorry it has taken me so long to update, I am in two ficfests both of which are due soon so I have been busy preparing for that. I was planning to update soon, but due to recent events, I will be delaying the update.

In case you are unaware, Woojin has been accused of sexually assaulting a fan(s?), and his addressal of the situation was really insensitive and sus, not to mention a lot of shady stuff with his so-called company. In light of this and in respect of the victim(s), I will no longer be writing Woojin into my stories. Whether these accusations are true or not, I'd rather remove him for all of our comfortability than to accidentally write a predator into my story.

With that said, I will be putting Duellum on a very temporary hiatus. The plot I had created was very reliant on the OT9 pairings with everyone's partner bonds, so I now have to figure out what to do for chan and rewrite the plot to fit it (this will also include me rewriting the already posted chapters). It won't be too difficult I think, but I have to finish my ficfests first, so it's not top of my list of things to do.

Thank you so much for understanding. I love you all, and I hope you are doing well.


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